Save a life, a cry for help

Dear Friends/Family,
Date:3/26/09

This should be considered a 911 clarion call for help ASAP for some of the people of Kenya in the interior or bush areas. Yesterday while moving two people that we know very well called us distraught and begging for us to help get food and water to the people in rural areas. Before I delve into the request, let me give some back ground information. Prior to going to Israel, Penny and I both have sent emails, discussed on our blog as well as Facebook the severe drought conditions here in Narok and surroundings areas we have visited. Since returning from Israel, the condition is VERY miserable and severe now and not just effecting the livestock, but humans as well. The wheat crop that was planted a few weeks ago has been blown away with the wind and dry soil.
So this is what we would like to do in regards to reaching out to these desperate people and that is to purchase corn,beans and what the Kenyans call cooking fat and give each family a packet of food. This gives a rounded diet of a protein and carbohydrate and sending water trucks to communities that have no water. The packet will last about 3 weeks per family and will provide some relief quickly. You may ask why go through us, well we have a contact who is willing to make sure that we get the food at a fare price, the food will not be resold, and 100% of the funds will be used for this purpose only. John Leshao has donated free use of his lorry (truck), so all we needs is fuel which we think we may be able to get from local councilors and then as you give money to buy the food. At this point, we can’t wait for the government to act we need to move quickly and get these people assistance and show them we are His disciples by our love and care! The government is not acting swiftly or at all to the outcry of it’s people!
Also another ramification of the drought is that after this week the schools both public and private are closing down in the rural areas because of the drought and lack of food. Another topic of interest is that the highlands which is usually cool and has plenty of water has NO WATER!

So here are the numbers- we have 4 villages we are going to focus on in need of immediate help which totals about 28,000 people and the cost for food and water for each village will be about $7,000, so a total of $28,000 is needed ASAP.

To make matters worse we are experiencing an outbreak of rabies amongst not just dogs and donkeys, but humans too as of now 54 people have died of rabies in the Narok district. One graphic example was that a boy got bitten by a rabid dog and then he bit his whole family and then he disappeared. We have talked with the District Vet Jerry Ole Kina who has mobilized 5,000 free rabies vaccines to administer to the livestock and dogs in many of these rural areas. They even went street by street announcing by loud speaker about the vaccination program to get everyone to participate in the program to stop the rabies from spreading and killing people and animals. They are tonight going to diffrent villages were the rabies is the worse and putting down all the stray dogs they can find. We in the USA take this kind of thing for granted but Jerry the vet has worked for 2 weeks to get the government to give the money to do the put down of the stray dogs that carry the rabies. Wild dogs can get so bad with out these controlled put downs that they will dig up graves and eat the dead and attach and kill people. Sadly to say the 7 vets that work in the surrounding districts have not been vaccinated for rabies in several years due to lack of funding. Penny and I have been vaccinated only because we were quicken to do so prior to leaving the USA. So if anyone wants to donate toward this project, designate the funding for vaccines for vets the cost is about $150 per vet. We can buy the vaccine here and Dollie will give the vaccine in three doses.
If you can’t personally donate toward any of these projects, please appeal to other friends and your own vets to ask if they will help. This is not a time to be too shy. I realize that the economic situation is difficult to say the least, but give what you can-$5,$10, $25 or whatever I implore you to help in some fashion. Don’t get me wrong we need prayer too, but the bottom line is we need help for the purchase of these goods.

Please send your tax deductible donation to:

Kenya Medical Outreach
200 Johnson Rd.
Suwanee, Ga
30024

Please designate in a note or on the check which project you want the funding to go towards food and water relief, or rabies intervention.

Blessing to all

Dollie and Penny